Small Leaf Chrysanthemum Flower Herbal Tea/Tisane

Drank this bowl-brewed while reading the latest Eighty Degrees issue. The golden yellow flowers are, of course, very stunning. However, they also produce such a uniquely floral cup with a thick, syrupy liquor and strong, pungent notes of dark honey and dried medicinal and earthy herbs that evoke imagery of what you might see strung up in a sort of stereotypical medieval apothecary. The finish is rather peppery tasting, at least to my palate.

Though I’ve rarely enjoyed chrysanthemum tea in the past, this past winter I had some really positive experiences with a few different offerings that really challenged that bias I was holding. So, when I placed this recent order for Mountain Stream’s Spring oolongs I decided to continue pushing myself with this tisane and see just how much my taste for it has changed. I’m glad I did because, although I won’t be running out to mass restock more chrysanthemum tea any time soon, I did actually enjoy this cup quite a lot. I find that mix of golden honey and peppery flavour really soothing, and it was a very relaxing tea to drink while reading through some of the articles and photo series in this issue!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DI1p2_opiLE/?img_index=1

Also, I just have to shout out this yunomi cup from Ali Schorman because I’ve been eyeing her work for soooo long and am just really, really happy with this piece I snagged from Charlie Cummings not too long ago! Gorgeous attention to detail, really tactile, super saturated and beautiful sunset orange and pink colours… I’m just loving using it!

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBHusJ0BXxE&ab_channel=WILDERADO

As we don’t have anything blooming in our empty containers yet (though I’m hoping to plant zinnia seed tomorrow), I put some sweet little flowers in my cup this evening instead.
Not perfume flowery, not mulch leafy, just liquid gold with a little honey flavor around the edges. Here’s lookin’ at you, derk!

2023 harvest

Fresh and flavorful with a minty edge and a lightly sweet aftertaste. Liquid sunshine in a glass pot. All chrysanthemum I’ve had pale in comparison, except snow chrysanthemum buds which are in a class of their own. I can steep these flowers any time of day and they give me what I need in the moment — my personal adaptogen.

I really hope these will be a regular seasonal offering at Mountain Stream Teas. These tiny flowers are so complementary to my system that they sometimes make me not even want to drink caffeinated tea.

Feeling: calm, content, clear headed, cooling, respiratory system cleansing